I have a RIR hen at POL. She laid good eggs for a few weeks, now the eggs have no shell at all. Her "back" droops down unlike her sister whos feathers point up nicely at the back.Does she just need shell grit or is it something else? The other chook is still laying good hard shelled eggs and they eat the same pellets and whatever they scrounge up in the garden.

For a measured response to your query, please go to the link below. Copy & paste the text into a new post in this thread & include answers to all of the questions. With more information it will be easier for people to answer your query.

On first appearances, the lack of eggshells would generally be due to a lack of calcium. Upping the calcium in the chook's diet will fix that very quickly... sometimes within 24 hours. The drooping tail, together with a 'classic coccidiosis stance' could indicate that you should treat for coccidiosis. If you look in the 'stickies' in the GSMC (Good Samaritan Medical Centre) you'll find links to threads with photos of the classic pose (which isn't always seen in coccidiosis, but is a good start)... here's the link to it to give you a shortcut; http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7975815&p=267835#p267835

Before you do that though, go to the post mentioned as it will ask for far more detail in order for people to be more accurate in what might be wrong (whether one thing or multiple things).

I've noticed that sometimes when a hen is laying soft shelled eggs she gets that tail-down posture. I believe it is from discomfort/pain from trying to lay these eggs which don't pass as easily down the reproductive tract. Make sure she has plenty of shell grit and is eating it. If not you can give her a balanced calcium and vitamin D supplement which you can buy at most produce stores.If these shell-less eggs continue then she is at risk of developing life-threatening infections. If they do continue I'd consider forcing her into a moult.

Thanks everyone, I am going with what Stella said as there is nothing odd about the poo and she is as healthy as anything apart from the lack of shells. So I am giving her a dose od calcium and vit d and see what happens. Thanks again all of you!

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